Desk Phone Dock review

With every passing day, more people are ditching their landlines in favor of using their cellular phones as a combination device. Smartphones are no doubt excellent means of contacting other humans and managing our lives, but some of us miss the simpler days — when a phone was just a phone. If you’re a proud owner of an iPhone but looking to head down the retro road, Kee Utility would like to point you in the right direction. When we first saw the Desk Phone Dock, we were pretty intrigued by its looks but had questions about its practicality. What you see here is the $150 answer. Keep reading to see how well we got on with it.

Continue reading Desk Phone Dock review

Desk Phone Dock review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 17:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Microsoft launches API Mapping tool to help devs point iPhone apps at WP7 libs

Microsoft launches API Mapping tool to help iPhone devs point their apps to WP7 libraries

If you’ve spent much time coding in a development environment that has buttons, you know that Microsoft’s tools are among the best. In the spirit of helping developers (developers, developers) find their way to its mobile platform of choice, the company has launched the API Mapping tool for iPhone. Basically, it’s a utility that will look at the calls your iOS app’s code is making and help you find a new home for them in .Net’s ample libraries. Microsoft is also providing documentation to help with the porting and, we hear, asking really, really nicely that you consider Windows Phone for your next project.

Microsoft launches API Mapping tool to help devs point iPhone apps at WP7 libs originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 14:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink ZDNet  |  sourceMicrosoft  | Email this | Comments

HBO Go hits iOS and Android, free for subscribers

Don’t ditch that premium cable subscription just yet. The long-anticipated HBO Go app just hit the iOS App Store and Android Market, bringing original HBO series and a variety of blockbuster films to your mobile device. You’ll need an HBO subscription with your cable provider to get past the login screen, but unlocking all that the service has to offer using our Verizon FiOS account took just a second, and we were off and running with Avatar less than a minute after launching the app. We’ll have a full hands-on later today, but if you’re an HBO subscriber with an iOS or Android slab, head over to your device’s respective store to download the free app.

[Thanks, Jason]

HBO Go hits iOS and Android, free for subscribers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 11:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAndroid Market, iOS App Store  | Email this | Comments

NPD credits Verizon iPhone with stemming the Android tide in Q1 smartphone sales

As much as we were hoping to get some definitive statements from AT&T and Verizon’s Q1 2011 financials about the Verizon iPhone’s impact on the smartphone market, none were really forthcoming. It’s left to analyst outfits like the NPD, therefore, to try and parse the data for us and read between the official lines. The latest numbers from the NPD Group’s Mobile Phone Tracker indicate that Apple’s share of US smartphones sales jumped from 19 percent in Q4 2010 to 28 percent in the first quarter of this year, which helped stymie Android’s prodigious expansion. The Google OS went from being on 53 percent of all smartphones sold to a flat 50 percent in the quarter. Also intriguing about the period is that, for the first time, smartphones accounted for more than half of all mobile phones sold in the US, at 54 percent. The top five best-selling cellphones also happened to be smartphones, with Apple and HTC providing two each; the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, Droid X, EVO 4G, and the Droid Incredible took home the NPD commendations.

[Thanks, Matt]

Disclaimer: NPD’s Ross Rubin is a contributor to Engadget.

NPD credits Verizon iPhone with stemming the Android tide in Q1 smartphone sales originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 08:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceNPD  | Email this | Comments

Panasonic Viera AR Setup Simulator app augments the reality of your TV dream (video)

A cardboard cut-out, really? You pasted a 50-inch rectangle of stiffened paper to the wall in order to preview the flatscreen of your dreams within your new Vitsoe shelving system? For shame. A true nerd, nay, a real man would have cast aside those arts and crafts for Panasonic’s new Viera AR Setup Simulator app. Just grab the wall or pedestal AR marker from the printer and place it wherever you hope to showcase that new Panny. Then watch the app augment your reality through the iPhone’s camera. Don’t cost nothin’ but your time, starting with the 60 second video embedded after the break.

Continue reading Panasonic Viera AR Setup Simulator app augments the reality of your TV dream (video)

Panasonic Viera AR Setup Simulator app augments the reality of your TV dream (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 08:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Pioneer AppRadio brings apps, iPhone connectivity to your dash

If Pioneer’s AppRadio (SPH-DA01) ever sees the light of day, it’ll join a long list of integrated and aftermarket products trying to play off of the iPhone’s success. According to CrunchGear (and its anonymous tipster), the FCC-leaked device boasts a 6.1-inch touchscreen and built-in apps, along with a USB port for accessing content (and presumably, the data connection) on your iOS 4.1 devices. We imagine the hardware to be similar to the 6.1-inch AVIC-X930BT that Pioneer announced at CES, including Bluetooth connectivity, a microSD card slot, and GPS functionality, in addition to an AM/FM radio and single-disc CD player. iPhone connectivity really sets this receiver apart, along with the inclusion of additional apps, such as Pandora and iHeartRadio, with the possibility of adding more apps in the future as well. We’re incredibly skeptical about the device’s GUI having any basis on the mockup image above, but if graphics are anything like those on the models we saw at CES, we don’t expect to be disappointed either.

Pioneer AppRadio brings apps, iPhone connectivity to your dash originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 03:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceTechCrunch  | Email this | Comments

Shocker! Free Android apps outnumber free iPhone apps

Good news for Android users who hate paying for stuff: according to new numbers from Netherlands-based mobile analytics group Distimo, there are now more free apps available for Google’s mobile OS than the iPhone, at 134,342 to 121,845. There are a few things to consider here: first, when one adds free iPad-only apps, the total number of gratis iOS apps increases to a more competitive 132,239. And then there’s Apple’s sometimes rigorous vetting process, which has probably played a role in its numeric slippage — after all, this report doesn’t highlight things like legality, repetition, or the overall number of apps dedicated to making farting noises. Also, Apple has a lot more premium apps, giving it the overall lead at 333,124 to 206,143 — but between Android’s rapid growth and what the report terms iOS’s relative stagnation, Distimo expects Google to take the top spot in five months’ time, outnumbering iPhone and iPad apps combined — a rough scenario for Cupertino to stomach, no doubt, but at least the company will still have Windows Phone to kick around a while longer. [Source link requires registration]

Shocker! Free Android apps outnumber free iPhone apps originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 22:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Appolicious  |  sourceDistimo  | Email this | Comments

NFL Mobile apps bring the draft to you live tonight on iPhone, iPad and Android

The first round of the 2011 NFL Draft kicks off around 8 p.m. at Radio City Music Hall but if you’re not one of the players collecting racks on racks of cash (assuming there is a 2011 season of course) you can still get live updates via the NFL’s apps for iOS and Android devices. The NFL GameCenter apps that have been kicking around for iPhone/iPod touch and Android phones have been updated for the 2011 season in Lite (free) and Premium ($1.99) forms, and should be able to ply on the go users with live updates and information on each pick. The couch companion intended iPad app (pictured above, no Honeycomb love this go-round) is making its NFL Draft debut and adds on to the smaller format versions by including live NFL.com video streams both from within the auditorium and from the studio, video highlights and interactive features. Check out the screens for a better look at the UI or just click the source links below to download the free app of your choice — you’ll have to find the apps for tomorrow morning’s Royal Wedding on your own.

NFL Mobile apps bring the draft to you live tonight on iPhone, iPad and Android originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 18:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceiPad, Android, iPhone  | Email this | Comments

Army app store advances, tries to break through bureaucracy’s defenses

Army Marketplace

The Army Marketplace may be mired in bureaucratic muck, but the depot for mobile military apps isn’t simply stagnating in a stack of paperwork somewhere. Developers and commanders are still pushing forward with the project and hoping for the best. There are already 17 apps for Android and 16 for iPhones, created as part of the Apps for the Army contest last year, and designers have whipped up prototypes for the homepage (above) and personalized user pages (after the break) where soldiers can post ideas for apps, request features from devs, and write reviews. The chief of the Army’s Mobile Applications Branch, Lt. Col. Gregory Motes, hopes the Marketplace will make its debut at LandWarNet in August, even if there won’t be any approved smartphones to access it for several months after that. At least the military claim one victory, when its app store launches it’ll already have more titles than TegraZone.

Continue reading Army app store advances, tries to break through bureaucracy’s defenses

Army app store advances, tries to break through bureaucracy’s defenses originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Apr 2011 12:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceWired  | Email this | Comments

Fring Group Video goes live, enables four-way mobile video calls for free

If you missed the opportunity to get your hands on Fring’s limited Group Video beta, fret not, because the free service has just gone live for everyone on this planet. What this means is that all Fringsters on compatible iOS 4.x and Android 1.5+ devices (1GHz and above recommended) can now have up to three friends on one video call, and as before, you can do so over either WiFi, 3G, or 4G. Hit your nearest app market for the software update to join the fun, and head past the break to see how Group Video works.

Continue reading Fring Group Video goes live, enables four-way mobile video calls for free

Fring Group Video goes live, enables four-way mobile video calls for free originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Apr 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceFring  | Email this | Comments